It has been one week since we have welcomed four artists from Greece, North Macedonia, Hungary and Bulgaria in Sofia.
We have only spent a few days together, but these were replete with activities, sharing, exploring and exchanging. The artists will get to know and recreate in their own way the city of Sofia and it riches. In the span of a month they will research and create their own cultural models along the theme of ‘’Traditions in Transition”. Their schedule includes exploring the tangible and intangible cultural heritages of the region, the amazing architectural objects and churches, the heritage of minority immigrant communities, the industrial heritage, the heritage of the communist years including “The Bells” monument, the emblematic buildings from the age of the Ottoman Empire, and, of course, the way in which contemporary artists interpret and include our Bulgarian heritage into their work: graffiti walls, the festival “Mish-Mash” with its unique jewellery, scarfs etc., and a visit to The Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia.
The artists’ residency will come to terms at the end of May, and their work will be presented in the beginning of July.
Now we would like to, however, present to you the people who were responsible for the organisation of this project.
We present to you:
Maria Kadieva
Martina Lapica
Mouhammed Ali Mlayhi
Maria Kadieva, a volunteer in our team:
“I have the pleasure of being part of an interesting process: the initial acquaintance and exploration of an urban environment, which will later inspire the conceptualization of their pieces. Each one of these creators has a unique style which will, I hope, shine through their future projects. The cultural exploration of the city has given the artists the opportunity to build on their initial ideas and arrive at a final vision. The distinct origins and life stories of these talented people also influence the ideas surrounding their art. All of the participants in this art residency seem to like each other very much. They get along very well and they are enjoying this experience quite a bit. I am extremely glad that this is the case and that Sofia has proven to be a welcoming place for them especially during those hard times. I can’t wait to learn more about their art, their personalities, their interests, their life journeys and their dreams about the future.”
Mouhammed Ali (from Tunisia) is an intern at our NGO, and he holds the position of manager of the project. He has been a part of our team since November 2020. This is what he says:
“Това беше добро изживяване за мен, да придружавам артистите в тяхното запознаване с града. Посетихме много места като женския пазар, музея на джамиите и арабските улички, където заедно споделяхме и се откривахме като хора и култури. През тази първа седмица имахме прекрасни моменти заедно, значими дискусии и споделихме много неща за нашите култури. Ще се радвам да ги опозная повече, включително и тяхната работа.“
“This was a good experience for me, accompanying the artists in their acquaintance with the city. We visited a lot of places such as the women’s market, the museums of the mosques and the Arab streets where we mutually shared and got to learn more about each other’s personalities and cultures. During this first week we had a lot of wonderful moments together and important conversations, and we shared a lot of things about our cultures. I would be happy to learn more about them, including their work.”
The visit of the artists happens along the framework of our project “ECHO 2: Traditions in Transition” / “The European Cultural Heritage on Stage 2: Traditions in Transition”.
Partners:
Co-financed by the program “Creative Europe” of the European Union, the program “Culture” of Sofia municipality, The National Fund “Culture”, and the program “European Corps of Solidarity” of the European Union.
